The Antonovsky bridge destroyed by the Russian army with explosives in its retreat of Kherson, Ukraine, November 16, 2022.
(Berlin, July 9, 2026) – Civilians trapped in front-line areas of the Russian-occupied Khersonska region in southern Ukraine face dire humanitarian conditions and have no safe way to leave, Human Rights Watch said today. Civilians who wish to evacuate should be allowed to do so safely.
Residents who escaped the city of Oleshky, on the east bank of the Dnipro River, described severe shortages of food and medical care, and the collapse of basic services. They experienced unpredictable procedures at Russian checkpoints and the risk of death or serious injury from ongoing hostilities and landmines while moving around or attempting to leave. Antipersonnel mines, which both Russian and Ukrainian forces have used during the conflict, pose a particularly grave and lasting danger to civilians.
“Civilians trapped in parts of the occupied Khersonska region are surviving in hellish conditions,” said Yulia Gorbunova, associate director for Ukraine at Human Rights Watch. “Many have managed to escape, but among those who remain are more who want to flee, if evacuation were not such a life-threatening gamble.”
Oleshky has been under Russian occupation since February 2022 and is currently on the front line between Russian and Ukrainian forces. Both Russian and Ukrainian forces have been conducting attacks in the area, and Oleshky has been subjected to sustained attacks by Ukrainian forces.
Human Rights Watch interviewed six residents who escaped Oleshky between October 2025 and May 2026, some of whom remained in contact with people still in the city, as well as a Kherson-based journalist, and reviewed media reports and official statements.
Other occupied parts of Khersonska region where conditions have been reported as dire for civilians include Hola
